controversy, hardship- let us be alive, courageous and liberated.

voters line up before dawn at washington mill elemantary school, 

near mount vernon in fairfax county, VA, tuesday, nov 6 2012 

(AP Photo/j. scott applewhite)

12:55am, 07 november 2012.

romney came up the podium and made his speech.

how many ears did it reach? how many hearts did it touch? many.
supporters. oppositions. bystanders.
it was not the victory speech he wrote.
but perhaps this was greater speech than the one he wanted.
to believe in america. to believe in principles. to be a real citizen.

this was one of the ugliest and bloody political battles in recent times (especially for -1.5 years). along with americans, the world watched: people ran from one side to another, swayed and swayed, lost, confused and angered, looking for unreal solutions, fix-alls. pressurized pot of america.

it was campaign season full of frustration and word games, fuelled through data/media processing/manipulation.  it was fought hard, nothing spared, a million commercials in nine states in the last month... it is so easy to lose the sight of the real reason in the holy game of politics- some members of the society becoming borderline unreasonable (in my eyes: the tea party members were memorable, and also herman cain...)

but the real goals-
to improve, to believe, to grow and to mend.

i am not an american. but this election weighed heavily in my mind.  i lived in america for five years, 2003-2008.  as i learned to become an adult, an individual, if inexperienced, in america through my mid-late twenties, it is an integral part of who i am today. though its former glory fades as it lose its grip of the world slowly through recession, international military conflicts and the consequent divisions among its citizens, america will remain to be one of the key players in my own personal and objective international relations.

because of america's role in this global, close-knit world, we will all carry the weight of this decision, though as non-american, most of us from the outside had no choice but only to observe today.

i rooted for obama in my heart.  but that's not as important- in a sense, in such a tight race (and result), it does not really matter who 'won' for now. in fact, i would say no one really won as the population still remain fractured. however,  the most significant news was a simple one:

historical turn-out for the voting day.

even with scar of sandy still fresh, open and bloody.

people waiting for hours,
braving the weather,
personal situations and logistics,
conflicts in beliefs-

they came and voted. yes. this is the real victory.
a society where its citizens are aware (if forced by the difficult circumstances- health, military, equality issues, to name a few), and took the courage to be vocal.

i wished for every voters that they made decisions they really believed in.

that in time to come, whoever wins,
people will remain flexible and aware,
opinionated and to be communicative,
to be responsible,
to not be blinded by quick-solutions,
to commit and believe in power of change an inspiration.

the election results illustrates heavily conflicted country, that all parties need to keep their integrity, having the grace and courage to move away from personal attacks and cheap shots (it does grate my nerves to see people casually calling romney as an idiot, a moron, etc. though i disagree with most of his principles, he is a man who still has almost half of the nation who believes in him. his ideas are controversial and dangerous, however, if he is a citizen, let him also be respected for his role and influence. republicans, however ridiculed they have been by others, are still valid and important members of the society), demanding times- but what an opportunity for living!

obama, with peoples' voices, is declared victor today, if barely.  this illustrates nothing about the value of his policies or actions.  however it does shows that we do support, with doubts, questions and anxiety.  yes, he has a long term to carry and yes, we believe that we can. but we must believe in our own choices when times are difficult and demanding, not only on a celebratory election night. hang on, believers, as the hard time is to continue, especially when we believe in right for free speech, expression and ideas.

i wish the americans (and others) will keep this gift of the paradigm alive- the gift of willingness, to take action- whether it be passive or active.  often there may not be a clear option- then we may never give up, that we progress through the difficult weight, to find a better solution and to continue to question the solution, to not be stagnant, but to be alive, flexible, persevere and to consider.

congratulations, america.
you showed the world that you are alive.
let us live with you, in robust discussions and exchanges,
let us be better, compassionate and courageous,
in the difficult times.